SDPI HOLDS NATIONWIDE PROTEST AGAINST CITIZENSHIP AMENDMENT BILL 2019

New Delhi: 10 December 2019: SDPI organised a nationwide protest against the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 passed in Lok- sabha yesterday. Protests were held in Delhi, Rajasthan, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, and Gujrat and UP. Thousands of party workers gathered at various places with full enthusiasm and chanted slogans against the unconstitutional and communal bill which paves the way for unjust NRC. SDPI leaders said that this bill was not only communal but it also changes the regional demography which is against the basic federal structure of the country. They said that the bill was sharp contravention of fundamental rights guaranteed in articles 14, 16 and 25. It also violates schedule 6 of the Constitution of India which grants regional autonomy to maintain cultural and regional identities. This bill is actually aimed to implement venomous RSS ideology which always rejected religious and linguistic diversity of the nation and insisted on one language one religion and one nation i.e. Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan which is against the basic ethos of India.

In Delhi hundreds of SDPI workers gathered at Jantar Mantar and burnt the copies of the bill. National vice president Advocate Sharfuddin Ahmed, while addressing the gathering, criticised the union govt and said that this govt had a clear agenda to implement it’s fascist ideology and render the Muslim community to second class citizens neglecting all secular and socialistic values enshrined in the constitution. They are taking steps to create a Hindu Rashtra through constitutional means bypassing all democratic values.

While burning the copies of the draconian bill, party national secretary Dr Tasleem Rehmani said that the party would not tolerate any law which impeach the rights of the people.  He asked why does the govt insists on granting citizenship to the Hindu refugees belonging mainly to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who are already living in India as refugees. Govt may rather go to UN and can sign refugees’ convention. He also asked that why the persecuted minorities from Mayamar and Sri Lanka are not included in this bill.

SDPI NWC Member Dr Nizamuddin Khan and Mohd Anis Ansari Zonal secretary of Popular Front Of India also addressed the Protesters.

SDPI demands to immediately withdraw this anti-constitutional bill and also appeal to all non-fascist political parties to oppose this bill in Rajyasabha   where opposition is majority and can easily defeat the bill. SDPI also urges the opposition parties to issue whip to its MPs to vote against this bill otherwise it will be seen as a tacit support to the nefarious design of the govt.